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Plateau APC Campaign Council
commends Debate Group, chides PDP candidate for not showing up for the debate.
By Dickson Gupiya
February 6, 2019
The
Plateau State Campaign Council of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has
commended the Plateau Debate Group for successfully holding its 2nd
edition of the “Gubernatorial Debate” on Saturday, February 2, 2019. A
statement by the media and Publicity committee of the Council, signed by Nde Jonathan
Ishaku and a copy made available to African Drum expressed
the view held by the Council that the event accorded the good people of Plateau
State the opportunity to hear from their top contenders for the race to
Government House in the forthcoming polls on March 2, 2019.
The
Council however, regretted the inability of the flag bearer of the main
opposition in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to attend the
event.
“In
this regards, we regret the inability of the candidate of the People Democratic
Party (PDP) to show up to take the auspicious opportunity to outlay his party’s
programmes to the good people of the state as the other contestants did.
“We
had thought that in this information age, where technological advancement has
made public scrutiny and accountability an essential component of electoral
contest, a political party like the PDP would avail itself the mechanism
of an open forum for robust debate on issues of public interest. More so, the
PDP candidate, under no circumstances, can't claim to be busier than the
incumbent State Governor who squeezed time out from his tight preoccupation
with state affairs to make himself available at the debate”. It stated.
The
Council further expressed dismay that all the PDP could tell the people of
Plateau was that their candidate’s absence was due to “unavoidable
circumstances”
According to the statement, “if it wasn’t for
our sympathy, respect and understanding for the condition of the octogenarian
candidate, a condition which has become increasingly apparent in the course of
the electioneering campaigns, we would have dismissed this explanation as
uncharitable and insensitive to the people of the state who had expected all
their top political contenders to show up at the much published debate to give
account of themselves.
“Unfortunately,
as it is now, we can only sympathize
with the party and its supporters stressing that even though in some quarters
many are questioning the candidate’s inability to show up for the debate; was
it just the challenges of advanced age and impaired health or the fear of being
subjected to public scrutiny?”
The
Campaign Council also noted with regrets how such frailty and disdain for
public scrutiny portend to good governance in the unlikely circumstances that a
candidate with what it called ‘unpredictable disposition’ gets into office. It however stated that in the spirit of
sportsmanship, it prayed for the PDP to overcome its difficulties in good time
so that the contest will be properly joined adding that only this will make
APC’s inevitable victory at the polls sweeter.
The
Council further commended Governor Simon Lalong for not only participating in
the debate but also coming out strongly, brilliantly and trustfully on all
issues raised saying that it was another demonstration of his humility and
leadership as well as his great respect for the people of the state.
“This
further buttresses the fact that our campaigns are issue-based rather than
personality attacks, slander or aggression as have been the pastime of the
opposition, especially the PDP in the state”.
Consequently,
the APC Campaign Council urged all to continue to uphold peace and order
throughout the campaigns and the elections.
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